I’ve read many of the posts about writing, and this seems to be the program people are most enthusiastic about. For those of you who are currently using it, is it a program that you are able to begin using once you have the materials, or do you need to attend a training session? Also, if I’m buying it to use with my elementary sped. kiddies, should I just spend the money and buy the elementary pack, or buy just the needed pieces separately? Also, is anyone using it with elem. (grades 4-6) kids, keeping in mind that the instructional level is around 2 and 3rd grade? Will it be effective at that level? I’m trying to teach expository writing, and am making progress, but it can be challenging! Thanks for any information!
Re: Question on Step Up to Writing program
Thanks Michelle, your information is helpful! It’s funny you mention Reasoning and Writing; I’m using Expressive Writing with some of my 4th and 6th graders. It’s good for the 4th graders, who needed work on writing sentences, but it is boring. For expository, I just started using a program called Empowering Writers. It was written by a woman named Barbara Mariconda ~ you can find some of her books on Amazon.com. It ties in nicely with the requirements for the writing prompt on Connecticut’s state mastery test. I’m seriously thinking of ordering this once I have some extra money set aside.
Jenn,
I use Step Up to Writing with my 16 learning disabled resource students who are from the 1st grade level to about 4th grade level. If a child can basically read, then the child should be able to use this program. I have a non-reader and he is the only one who can’t make progress with the program unless I dictate. First reading, then writing.
I had only a one Saturday training. Since then, I have shared Step with other teachers. It is the kind of thing you can use the next day after learning it. If you got the manual, I think you could do it without training or tapes. I am a visual learner myself, and so it always helps me to see it. I bought the How to videos but I only really bought them so my children’s school could get trained because I knew they wouldn’t be able to find the money for training. It worked. They are using the tapes. It is a cheaper way to bring people up to speed if they are already sold on the concept.
The tapes are about $400 and are very good but I’d see if you could get your Special Ed. department to buy them or principal. It is a great way to share with other teachers. If you can get regular (general) ed to use Step Up which I’m trying to do, you will be amazed by how well your kids will do back in class. I have one of my 4 sixth grade teachers using it with her classroom of 11 English Language Learners, and 7 special ed students plus another dozen kids with no label. I go in her room a bit. I am just amazed at her students’ progress. I have taught regular ed. Her students writing looks better than what I used to get before I learned Step Up.
In resource I use Step for expository writing writing, summary writing, personal narratives, story writing, and report writing. In Arizona, we have 8 writing standards. I have made 8 large three ring binders with lables of the 8 standards. I made a copy of the Step Up manual, reproducilbles, and overhead transparencies. I put the parts of each standard that must be taught in the correlating notebook. I then took all the other things I have collected over my years and put them in the notebooks. For example, all writing ideas out of the Mailbox Magaizine now are in these notebooks. (I used to find great ideas too late after it was taught because I couldn’t find it or remember I had it) Now, I just pull my huge 3 rind binder off the shelf and teach. I have tabs for each section “how to” “reproducible” “overheads” “tests” “student samples” etc… This has been so handy, especially when I share it with others. I even went through my book making books on how to bind books and made samples of different ways to display the final product like pop up books, poof books, accordian books. The students love it and it helps me not to forget to publish them in unique ways. ( One they particularly liked…..topic….Here are several things I like to include in my sack lunch when I pack a lunch….The book is shaped like a box lunch with a handle. It has a clasp that fold over with a piece of velcro. The students then decorate the outside of the lunch box with Sponge Bob, Hello Kitty, Harry Potter or whatever they like. It folds to close so the writing is enclosed. Inside the items that the students want to pack pop up, like an apple, drink, or sandwich. Anyway, I don’t know if you can totally picture it but you get the idea.)
With my elementary writers I start out with the 8 sentence paragraphs. I model, write together, and then let them start. So far this year I taught them the Power (number) paragraph and the occasion/position topic sentences. Step Up has a dozen topic sentences strategies and I probably won’t get to all of them. I will feel good if they can write paragraphs, summaries, a basic report, and letter writing solid this year. They have already learned more this year in a half of year than last year using Reasoning and Writing for the whole year. Plus, I’m not bored out of my mind.
Good luck. I think you’ll find success without the workshop and you can always use this board to post questions.
You could get by with just the manual I love the posters too, so I recommend the manual, reproducibles, overheads, and handy pages. But, I personally would rather spend money than time making these. You could use only the how to manual but you will end up spending time to retype and make stuff. So it depends on your budget. I bit the bullet and was glad I did but I bought it in May with my big end of the year paycheck. This is a hard time of year.
Michelle N.